By Michael Morse
Forbes Magazine publishes Career Cast’s 10 Most Stressful jobs every year, and in 2015 and 2016, firefighter came in at No. 1 and No. 2 (behind enlisted military personnel), respectively.
But before you call the mutual admiration society for some good old-fashioned commiserating, consider this: actors, event coordinators and broadcasters also made the list.
I have to admit, I get a giant kick out of seeing my job listed as the most stressful of all the jobs out there. It gives me some justification for being stressed out, cranky and tired.
“Did you see this!” I’ll tell anybody who will listen, proudly pushing my printed copy of the list in their face. “I told you my job was hard!”
I can never figure out why they are less than impressed. Perhaps it has to do with their own stress levels at work. Imagine going to work day after day, week after week and year after year, doing the same thing, over and over with absolutely no chance of anything exciting happening. I truly cannot imagine maintaining optimism, passion and contentment when I know exactly what my work day will consist of. The very thing that makes firefighting stressful is what I think is the best part of the job; the unpredictability.
Dangerous? Absolutely. Stressful? Yes. The MOST stressful? No way.
I love a challenge. The opportunity to put on the gear and respond to emergencies relieves the stress that accumulates as the hours at the station wear on. Maybe I’m a little nutty, but I honestly don’t think my present job is all that stressful. Right out of high school I worked as a line cook. That was without a doubt the most stressful work I ever did. The hours were horrible, the heat unbearable, the pay miserable and when the lunch or dinner rush was on — and the rush lasted for hours — it was all I could do to keep up. Granted there were no lives at stake, but that didn’t make the work any less stressful.
I spent a few years doing construction work. Again, that work was far more stressful than firefighting. The workdays were 10 hours and I left exhausted after every shift. That’s right, EVERY shift. The work was challenging, if you consider moving piles of rocks from a hole into a truck all day challenging. Eventually I did get promoted, but there was no ceremony at City Hall, no adulation from friends and family. There was a dollar an hour pay raise and the opportunity to straddle rooftops with my nail gun in one hand and the other hand holding a bundle of shingles on my shoulder.
One chilly morning, as I stepped onto the frost covered plywood some 50 feet above the ground, I lost my footing and slid to the edge, and the rocky ground and certain death below. A roofing nail lodged into the soft skin just below my knee, slowing my descent just enough to grasp the edge of a piece of plywood with my fingernails before falling off the ledge.
There was no rescue team waiting, no FAST Company anticipating my predicament, no ladders or ropes. It was me and my fingernails waiting for the ice to melt so I could get off the roof, grab another bundle and get back to work.
There are lots of stressful jobs out there, and lots of stressed out people doing those jobs. I like to keep in mind that every one of us has our own difficulties to contend with, and all of us deserve a little respect and understanding when we finish a shift. Stress comes in all kinds of disguises, and firefighters certainly have their share. Just remember that everybody works, well, almost everybody, and everybody struggles. Life is hard, make no mistake.
Try not to let these “Most Stressful” lists get into your head. Believing the hype will lead to more stress; taking it in stride helps to alleviate it.